


Humble Beginnings

by thunderstorm (ConsultingTimelordWizard)



Series: 30 Days of Mass Effect [1]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Colonist (Mass Effect), Gen, Shepard Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 13:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12682626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConsultingTimelordWizard/pseuds/thunderstorm
Summary: John grinned and nudged his sister. “The soldier and the engineer. We’ll make a great team, won’t we sis?”Jane grinned, said grin only widening when she heard Father laughing. “Yeah, the best team. You’d die without me.”“And you me.”





	Humble Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Different Shepard than my first Mass Effect fic! This will be part of a 30 day writing challenge, and though I'll be posting each one-shot separate from each other, they'll all be within the same story line.

Jane hid from the rustling of the fields, sticking close to the ground and peaking through the stalks to view her surroundings. The bright blue sky was cloudless, and the Sun’s rays shone down enough that she had to squint to see properly. Mother had said Mindoir reminded her of her days on Earth, telling both Jane and her brother John about the wide fields she would run through as a child. Jane was sure that’s why they’d moved to Mindoir. It reminded Mother of home. 

To Jane, home had been the cool steel of the spaceship Father had commanded, her family the crew that passed by her each day. The day Father had retired had been the worst day of her life, and she’d cried when she stepped off the  _ S.S.V. Artemis _ for the last time, John holding her hand. She’d sworn she’d never want to live anywhere but the ship, yet after a few years spent on Mindoir Jane found herself preferring the quiet country air to the hum of a spaceship. She found she didn’t even mind the busy work Mother gave her and John to help around the farm; she liked visiting the chickens and tossing them seeds to eat. She was only eleven, but helping around the farm made her feel useful. Jane hated feeling useless. 

The stalks rustled again, and Jane dropped lower to the ground, crawling slowly and watching each step she took so she wouldn’t make a sound. In the distance she could make out the treehouse Father had built for her and John when they first moved to the colony, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. The treehouse was her goal. So long as she could get there without being caught, she would be home free. The breeze tickled her nose, and she held her breath to hold back a sneeze. Shockingly, it worked, and Jane continued her slow trek forward. Only a hundred feet or so, and…

Another breeze went by, carrying pollen from Mother’s nearby garden and dragging a few strands of hair that had come loose from her bun across her face. The hair dangled in front of her eyes, bright red standing out almost like a warning as it tickled her nose.

Jane sneezed.  _ Crap. _

“I heard that!”

Jane took off running, all plans of stealth pushed aside as she made a mad dash for the treehouse. He wouldn’t be able to tag her once she got there, but where Jane had flexibility, John had reach. She could contort her body out of his way, but his long legs brought him closer than she wanted. She could hear his footsteps pounding against the dirt behind her, and Jane counted the steps under her breath as her brother drew closer. Ten steps turned to three, and Jane dropped to the ground into a tuck and roll, catching sight of John running past her and skidding to a halt when he saw she had gone. A manic grin spread across her face, and Jane was up on her feet in seconds, legs pumping to get her closer to the treehouse. Almost there--

“Ah!”

Jane screeched as John tackled her from the side, having launched himself when he was in reasonable distance of her. The siblings tumbled and rolled on the ground, John trying to keep her pinned down but Jane using her small stature to her advantage. The scuffle lasted for the longest five minutes of Jane’s short life, only ending when Father came back from the fields to the sight of his son holding down his younger sister’s ankles in an attempt to keep her in place. He raised an eyebrow at them both, and the two went straight to their feet like perfect little soldiers--like Father had been.

“What do we have here?” he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching in what Jane hoped was amusement. John shifted in place before stepping forward, chin tilted up. 

“We were competing. First to the treehouse wins, or first to be pinned loses.” He glanced at Jane and smirked. “And I definitely had her pinned down.”

“No you didn’t!” Jane protested, breaking out of her stance and getting into her brother’s space. It did nothing but widen his smirk, and she shoved his shoulder in annoyance. “I would have gotten there fair and square if you hadn’t tackled me.”

“Which is the  _ point _ of it, Janie! I had you pinned down and you know it.”

“I was getting away. If Father hadn’t come over I would’ve kicked your stupid face away and--”

“ _ Children _ .” Father looked serious, and both of them turned back to attention. Father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “Neither of you won. I could see you fighting from the wheat fields. John, tackling your sister like that was reckless--you were left completely exposed and could’ve been killed by a comrade of hers in an instant. Jane, you need to always be one step ahead if you’re going to fight to your advantage. Getting cocky in the field will only end up with your death.”

“Yes sir,” the two mumbled, Jane looking down and John keeping eye contact with Father. Jane heard a sigh, and looked back up to see Father giving them a fond look.

“You’ll learn with time. The last thing I want is for either of you to get hurt, especially on the field.”

“That’s what John wants,” Jane grumbled. “I’m gonna stay inside with the tech.”

John grinned and nudged his sister. “The soldier and the engineer. We’ll make a great team, won’t we sis?”

Jane grinned, said grin only widening when she heard Father laughing. “Yeah, the best team. You’d die without me.”

“And you me.”

Five years later, when Mindoir was burning from a Batarian slaver attack, both her parents dead, and her brother just barely hanging on in an emergency Alliance vessel, Jane realized just how right John was.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr! mararetbeaufcrt.tumblr.com


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